Professional Studies | Becca's eportfolio

As my elective I chose the Working Together module. I have really enjoyed this module so far and have noticed how it could be used in practice already. The term collaboration comes up a lot in the lectures and we were given as essay to write on the term.

I have always been intrigued to find out more about collaboration so I did some research. I found that collaboration is when a group of people work together to complete a task and there are two types of collaboration:

– Synchronous collaboration- people meet at the same time for example in a room together or on Skype

– Asynchronous collaboration- not everyone is available so work is discussed by uploading documents or discussions online (aiim, 2005).

I noticed from research that there are various theories on collaboration: Huxham and Vangen (2005) and Frost. Frost identifies four different ways of working together and has identified them in levels. The theory I found most interesting was Huxham and Vangen (2005) as I could really relate and see their ideas in practice. Huxham and Vangen (2005) developed a theory of collaborative practice. They developed a ‘trust building loop’ which aimed to get everyone that was involved in collaboration to trust each other in order to initiate the collaboration. However they also stated that trust can take a while to develop.

Since reading into collaboration I can see that it is everywhere. As part of this module we are split into peer learning groups and in these groups we collaborate. We share ideas and develop each others. Out of the two types of collaboration we use both as we meet everyone Monday to work on our essays and tasks that have to be completed. We also have a facebook chat where we communicate with each other regarding information needed for our essays. I feel that we collaborate effectively as we all work well together. Everyone has a say in the group and disputes are always resolved.

Sources used

aiim (2015) What is Collaboration? Available online at: http://www.aiim.org/What-is-Collaboration (Accessed: 29th November 2015).

Huxham, C. and Vangen, S. (2005) Managing to Collaborate: The Theory and Practice of Collaborative Advantage. London: Routledge.

I have always been careful with social media and using the internet but after having an interesting input focusing on the internet/social media it made me think a lot more about the challenges we may face as a professional. The input really was an eye opener to all the things that could happen when you are not careful. This could simply be children requesting you as a friend on facebook or photos being posted online from a night out.

When looking into the GTCS codes and reading the “Professional Guidance on the Use of eComms and Social Media” it really touched on how to be professional and deal with situations that may occur. It also highlighted the fact that it is extremely important to watch what you post on social media as children/parents may look you up. In order for people that are not your friends not to see your profile the guidance mentions making your profile private. I strongly believe that this is important as it allows you to keep your private life separate from work. Before reading this guidance I had never thought of making my profile private and how social media could affect how your viewed as a professional.

Since reading this guidance I have made all my social media accounts private and adapted the settings. I have always been one for keeping my private life and work life separate as I believe that this is important as a professional especially in a school environment.

There are many challenges and risks of social media and technology however it is not always a bad thing. There are many schools now a days that have a facebook page to show parents how well their children are getting on or what the school are getting up to and events the school are hosting. You tube is also used in schools as an educational tool. Glow is used for students and teachers to communicate regarding assignments and homework task. All these sites are used carefully and in a professional way for example the facebook pages are private and a child’s photo is not put up without having permission from the parents. They sites are intended to support pupils and help them with there education.

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